We’ve already played a couple of his new tracks on the podcasts but finally The Living Graham Bond’s “Bass Locale” EP has been released on Fat! Records, as of yesterday. A bit of a concept EP, we got in touch with Graham to chat through the main ideas behind the release, and also to indulge in some of the more geeky aspects of dance music production.
So the new EP’s out. With a clear emphasis on worldly rhythms, what was the main inspiration behind the EP?
Initially I was quite keen on exploring the idea of releasing a 3 track “DJ tools” EP that was very simple and based around beats and rhythms solely. Once I got started though, it just felt right to finish these tools through to full song status. Maybe it was a test in self-control… which I failed!
“World bass” has been a big influence as well as the purer forms of genres like Baile Funk, B-more and the UK scenes. People like Daniel Haaksman really stand out as artists who are embracing different sound cultures but not exploiting them and I hope that’s what I did with this.
How did you devise the name ‘Bass Locale’?
A little joke I suppose, “world bass” is such an indistinct genre name so I wanted to refine it and pay a bit more respect to the ingredients involved. If roles were reversed and someone was referencing my country’s sub-culture I’d want it to be a little bit more specific than being described as somewhere on the same planet. What’s in a name, of course!
Little Dipper by The Living Graham Bond
I understand you mastered all 3 songs yourself? Is this the first time you’ve done that? It sounds really good and nicely consistent. A job well done sir!
Thanks, it’s the first time I’ve mastered my own work to go out into the real world. It’s really odd when you’re doing it yourself. You’re in two mindsets. You want to harsh it up and make it aggressive, yet at the same time, treat it with respect and keep the dynamics, so it’s quite a schizo ordeal. I rather prefer mastering for other people as there’s way less baggage attached to the track and you can be more creative.
What’s your production set up like?
It’s a pretty bog standard “in the box” DAW affair. I have a laptop, interface, monitors, controller and various dusty bits of hardware. Nice and simple!
Are there any bits of kit that you are particularly fond of?
Yeah, I’m a bit of a kit fancier really. I have quite a lot of old things that I never use but still love. It’d be really hard to pick one bit of kit because they all have their own personality and special qualities but I suppose my Hohner Pianet T is rather special. It’s nicknamed the “poor mans Rhodes”. It’s got a really nice mellow clunky sound and I find it’s a good place to start when approaching song writing from a melodic sense rather than a sound design aspect.
Guttergo by The Living Graham Bond
Interesting… So in the age-old analogue vs VST debate, what are you thoughts? Do you think it really makes a difference?
If you’re in a club and your wasted ear is up against a Funktion One sound system I very much doubt it. Who cares when you’re happy with the music you make? In an ideal world VSTs would sound analogue and analogue would behave like VSTs but they don’t yet. It’s similar to bedroom DJs getting obsessed with beat matching when they should be focusing on their music selection.
To audiophiles it does but to music fans it doesn’t. When you fit in to both of those categories you can end up arguing with yourself over petty things but the key is to remain with your head fully out of your own arse.
How long have you been producing for and when did the passion start?
A lot of my teen years were spent analysing popular tracks and trying to reproduce the sounds until I’d got it right. It gave me a buzz to be able to explain to someone exactly how a sound was created. Sadly this did nothing for my teenage love life.
So yes, I’ve always been in love with music production since I was 15. I started to take it seriously after university because I didn’t want a 9-5 job.
Where next for The Living Graham Bond?
I’ve got a few remixes coming out soon and another single early next year that I think might flap your trousers in the right way. I’m keen to stay on this ‘locale’ vibe and maybe start forging a sound. Keeping it varied, with lashings of hype and bass is the goal.
The Bail Out by The Living Graham Bond
The Bail Out is now available as a FREE download from the Fat! Records Soundcloud.
The entire Bass Locale EP can be bought from Juno.
